Representative Daniel J. Ryan
Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston Hall of Fame Inductee, 2020

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston Hall of Fame celebrates a tradition of positive influence and impact across the communities of Boston and Chelsea. Inductees are individuals who have gone on to make important contributions in their field, are role models of exemplary service to their community, and continue to have a positive impact on their Club.

Get to Know Dan:

Dan is currently serving his third term as State Representative for Charlestown and Chelsea from the Second Suffolk District in the Massachusetts Legislature.  Dan serves as Vice-Chair of the House Post-Audit and Oversight Committee.

A Charlestown resident, Dan and his wife Kara are raising a third generation of “Club Kids.” Their daughters Ella and Audrey are both members of the Charlestown Club Swim Team. Their son, Myer, is a Club alumnus currently attending graduate school at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. Myer was also a swim team member and played basketball at the Club. Dan and his two sisters, Carla and Marnie, grew-up at the Club. Carla currently serves on the Charlestown Local Advisory Board. Dan’s mom, Maryanne, swam for the Girls Club as a youngster and his dad, Carlo, a World War II veteran, also attended the Boys  Club as a kid in the 1930s.

Dan’s introduction to public service was a direct result of his involvement in the Charlestown Boys & Girls Club. As a kid, Dan enjoyed summer camp, played basketball and attended the Friendship Club. These experiences led Dan to become a staff member at the Club as an adult. As Teen Center Director in the 1990s, Dan chaperoned the annual Rocket Club trip to Washington, D.C., with then Club Director Jerry Steimel. A seed was planted. The following year, Dan was living in Washington, D.C. while working as a legislative aide for Congressman Mike Capuano when the Rocket Club returned for a tour of the Capitol building. After a fourteen-year career in the Congressman’s office, Dan won his seat at the Massachusetts State House in 2014.

Representative Daniel J. Ryan

Charlestown Club member